


Light, Destruction, Warmth, Energy, Rage, and Passion: Tales of Fire

by Mahfiruz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Original Character(s), Post-Canon, not so wicked stepmother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24897700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mahfiruz/pseuds/Mahfiruz
Summary: Azula was the unlucky one if you think about it. She didn't have Iroh or anyone she felt cared about her. In this AU Ozai remarries and has two more daughters. Azula's stepmother, Raziye is a kind woman (whose past I might try to write about more) with a fierce heart who continues to visit her stepdaughter after her imprisonment when the war is over and Zuko becomes firelord. Complications arise after Raziye births her second daughter and with outcome looking fatal, Raziye asks Zuko to send for Azula so she can say goodbye. I apologize for starting towards the end, hopefully I can get more of the beginning done. If I finish it later and you think I should rearrange it I'll be happy to consider it.I didn't really want to touch ATLA, since it's already such an amazing show, but I had some ideas so I thought I should write them down in case anyone would like them.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Raziye is referred to by people as the Empress or Empress Dowager. She earned the respect and sympathy of the servants while married to Ozai. And she has also been assisting Zuko with some ruling stuff as he tries to rebuild the Fire Nation. I'm still working on making decisions about her character but you can ask me in the comments if you want to know more. I'm partly inspiring her off this quote from I heard in a trailer which says, "I may not be a very strong person, but I can love."

Princess Azula heard the city bells ringing in the late afternoon. Raziye had visited her everyday since Azula’s imprisonment, bringing Azula’s half sister princess Hihana with her. But that noon Hihana came with one of the Raziye’s attendants, who told the princess that the Empress sent her apologies for missing their meeting but had gone into labor that morning. Azula resumed reading her book, the latest of the collection Raziye had brought her, the side of her mouth began to hurt and she realized that she had been smiling. There were fireworks that night to celebrate the birth of the new member of the royal family, Azula watched them from her cell window.

* * *

“Enter,” Azula replied, hastily rising and putting down her book. But she saw neither Raziye nor Hihana. Instead a guard entered while many others waited outside.

“Your highness, the empress requests your presence at once, please come with us to the palace,” the guard said.

* * *

Azula entered her stepmother’s chambers and Hihana ran over to greet her.

“Yaaayyyyyy! Azula here,” The two year old shouted as she ran over to Azula with her arms outstretched.

Azula picked her up and tossed her in the air, which brought more happy squeals from the toddler.

“We play?” Hihana asked with a large grin on her ever so adorable face.

A fit of coughing drew Azula’s focus over to her stepmother. Raziye was lying on her bed with several attendants gathered around her. She was extremely pale and sweat had dampened her hair and caused her clothes to stick to her skin. Next to her were books and toys, a pitcher and a bowl of water, wash cloths, several glass bottles with various colored liquids, a thermometer, and a cradle. The attendants all looked on with their faces both wide and scrunched, as their eyebrows raised in alarm and their mouths twisted anxiously. The doctor rubbed the empresses back but there wasn’t much else she could do either.

“Okay, mama?” Hihana asked in a less cheery voice, from Azula’s arms. 

Raziye nodded with a smile.

“Princess Hihana,” said Raziye’s chief attendant, “Princess Azula and your noble mother need to talk about grown-up stuff. Let’s go feed the turtleducks for a little bit while they talk.”

“Okay,” Hihana replied sadly, as Azula put her down.

“Play later?” Hihana asked as she left the room with the attendant.

“Of course,” Azula answered with a smile that then died as she turned to approach her stepmother.

“Meet Narah,” Raziye said, gesturing to the cradle beside her bed where the new princess lay.

“You can hold her,” Raziye said, “Please. I have to be careful because of the coughing.”

Azula picked up her new sister.

“She doesn’t like to be swaddled either,” Raziye added as Narah reached out and took Azula’s finger.

“She’s beautiful,” Azula told her stepmother.

“Yeah, like her sisters,” Raziye said with her voice falling as tears appeared in her eyes.

She motioned her attendants away.

“I had written something down . . just in case,” Raziye began once her servants had moved out of the bedchamber, “But I - I wanted to see you . . before I g-.”

Raziye’s voice was breaking. Azula was quiet.

“I lost a lot of blood. My body is very weak and I haven’t been getting better. It’s . . very unlikely I will get better.”

Azula looked down as Raziye said these words, not meeting her stepmother’s tear-filled brown eyes.

“It’s nice to see you with them, your sisters,” Raziye said gently, “Forgive me for even having to ask but I need to hear it, I need you to promise to look after them, you’ll have help of course but I - I need to know, I need you to promise, Azula!”

“I promise! I promise,” Azula said, “I promise I’ll look after them - and well.”

Raziye wiped some tears from her face, seeing Narah and Azula more clearly. She then placed her hand on Azula’s 

“I’m so proud of you, you know,” Raziye told her, “You are no longer just Azula the skilled warrior and intelligent schemer, with a wonderful regal, dramatic flare. You are also Azula, the amazing sister, who dedicates her time and patience and holds Hihana’s adoration. I have no doubt you will be as great a sister to Narah as you will continue being to Hihana. You’ve grown so much.”

More tears started to flow down Raziye’s face, and some began to threaten to leave Azula’s eyes too.

“I care about you, too,” Raziye said, giving Azula’s hand a squeeze, “And am sorry to leave you . . . . . . oh gosh, I don’t want to go . .”

Azula, turned her hand underneath Raziye’s hand, to clasp it. 

“But you’ll be okay,” Raziye told Azula, and with her other hand reached up to cup her cheek.


	2. Self-Defense and a Discovery Amongst the Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going back a little into part of Raziye's backstory, while I work on cranking out some new stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be clear Raziye does not get raped or molested by the attacker, however his attack is still wrong and traumatic. 
> 
> I start off with some scene directions bc idk how to write that bit in a more narrative style.

**Scene directions** : Colonel Jzen walked through the halls of the new hold with two other soldiers in a triangle, he is at the front with another officer. They have finished some business with the prisoners and supplies. They all stride in sync. Despite the sharp clicks of their boots and the machine-like synchronicity, we see that their uniforms are tattered and stained a little. One of the officers steps in a small puddle of blood. 

Colonel Jzen Kiyana heard the screams down the hall and walked quickly to the corridor. He was almost to the cell when he heard a different sound, loud shrieks of pain. He entered to find an earth kingdom soldier shrieking on the floor covered in burns. And a girl standing against the cell wall shaking. Her skin was scratched and her clothes were torn. Jzen ordered a soldier to unlock the door. Jzen stared at the man, charred clothing and red bleeding flesh with smoke coming off of him.

“What happened?” he asked the girl.

“I - I - I didn’t - I - he -” She started but her shakiness of her words then overthrew her body, wincing as the metal door hit the wall. She took a step backwards as he walked in. Her foot rolled under her and she fell, Jzen rushed over to her and she pushed herself further back into the corner. Jzen took off his cape and held it out to her. She remained pressed into the corner. The smell of the burnt flesh and fabric filled his nose, dropping his cloak he got up and whispered to one of his soldiers, “Take the man away and interrogate him. If you can. Afterwards kill him, we’re not wasting anything on such scum.”

The girl's eyes were darting around. He didn’t want them to land on the burned man, her attacker he presumed. “Don’t let the girl know what you’re doing,” he added. His soldier met his eyes and nodded his head, a comrade.

“Are you hurt?” Jzen asked the girl, 

Her eyes were still darting around, like rice in a rattle.

Hey” He said trying to center her , “listen girl - what - what’s your name? Could you tell me your name?”

“ . . . Raziye” She replied, after what seemed like the longest time.

“I’m Jzen . . and this is Aito and Botan,” He said, gesturing to the soldiers with him. 

“ . . . We’re - we’re not going to hurt you,” he added, “ . . let’s get you to a healer.” 

Jzen extended his hand. She didn’t take it. He dropped his hand, unsure what to do.

Another soldier rushed in with a message and Jzen stood up to receive it.

Jzen gave his order to the messenger and turned back to find the girl standing up, holding his cloak tightly around herself.

He gave her, what he hoped was, a kind smile and slowly walked out the door and she followed him. She continued walking behind them down the halls of the fortress. Almost out of the fortress they passed another earth kingdom soldier the Fire Nation had taken prisoner. He lunged for Raziye, “Traitor! You traitor bitch! You fucking bitch!”

Jzen pulled Raziye out of the way and the guard regained control of the prisoner. He could feel shaking, the ribs of her thin frame rattling against his armor.

“Keep a handle on the prisoners, corporal!” Jzen shouted at the Fire Nation soldier.

“You’re okay,” Jzen told Raziye, “You’re okay, you’re safe.”

She looked up at him, her face illuminated by lantern light, and that’s when he noticed her eyes. Bloodshot and glassy, one was green and one was purple. A rare beauty that only appeared in the daughters of house Kiyana.


End file.
